Automatic mine car coupling



Oct. 19, 1937.

c. CQMONTGOMERY er 9 ,644 AUTOMATIC MINE CAR COUPLING Filed April 18. 19:6

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 yren, INVENTORS Ckarzea' hazzepzr fawn/16 ATTORNEYS Oct. 19, 1937. c. c. MONTGOMERY ET AL 2,096,644

AUTOMATIC MINE CAR COUPLING Filed April 18, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY S Patented Oct. 19, 1937 UNITED STATES AUTOMATIC MINE CAR COUPLING Charles Conway Montgomery and Walter Ernest Chelgren, Hardburly, Ky.

Application April 18, 1936, Serial No. 75,206

1 Claim.

This invention relates to couplings for mine cars, and has for the primary object the provision of a device of this character which will automatically couple cars to provide a saver of time and labor and which. will readily adjust itself when coupling cars on uneven tracks and when operating on curves in the track.

With these and other objects in view, this invention consists in certain novel features of construction,'combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of our invention, reference is to be had to the following description 18 and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary side elevation illustrating a car coupling adapted to adjacent ends of cars and constructed in accordance with our invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary top plan view illustrating the same.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken on the line l4 of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a perspective view illustrating the male element of the coupler.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral I indicates a male element of the coupler which 0 is in the form of a bar and has one end bent to form a hook 2 adapted to enter the female element 3 of the coupler. The male element has an opening 4 to receive a king pin 5 of a draw bar 6 of a car. Engaging with opposite sides of the 35 pivoted end of the male element are spring members 1 acting to keep the male element centered and which will permit said male element to have a. limited pivotal movement so that the hookshaped end will readily enter the female element when in the act of-coupling.

The female element is suitably secured to a second car and is in the form of a housing 8 provided with a chamber 9 therein and which opens outwardly through one end of the housing to form a mouth). The mouth is of flared formation, as clearly shown in Figures 3 and 4. Between the mouth l0 and the chamber is a throat I I and communicating with the throat is a recess I2 formed in one of the walls of the housing. The

throat where merging into the chamber 9 defines spaced shoulders l3 each having a recess I3.

A shaft I4 is journaled in the housing and traverses the recess l2 above the throat and has secured thereto a dog I 5 which may move intoand out of the throat from the recess I2. When the dog occupies a position in the throat the opposite extending lugs I6 thereof contact the shoulders l3 and thereby relieve the shaft of strain and such strain is. placed thereon by the hook 2 of the male element being in engagement with said dog and the second carpulling the first car. The shoulders I3 have recesses I3 in which the lugs l6 may move and thereby limit the downward pivotal movement of the dog.

An arm I I is secured to 'one end of the shaft I4 and has connected thereto a coil spring l8. The spring I8 is secured to the second car and acts to urge the dog into the throat from the recess I2 so that in order to move the dog into the recess I2 from the throat the arm II must be raised. In order to raise the arm II an operating lever I9 is connected to the arm I1 by a flexible element 20 and is pivoted to the second car, as shown at 2 I. A pull downwardly on the free end of the operating lever will elevate the lever or arm I1 and move the dog from the throat into the recess I2. The dog occupying a position within the recess I2 will be free of the hook-shaped end of the male element of the coupler so that the cars may pull apart when moved relative to each other. The free end of the operating lever may be latched in a downward position by engaging a catch 22 thereof with teeth 23 of a rack 24.

Cars equipped with a coupler of the character described will become automatically coupled together when moved towards each other due to the male element entering the female element and the dog becoming engaged with the hook 2. Should the cars be operating on a curve, the flared mouth II) will readily guide the male element into the throat of the female element to become engaged by the dog.

Having described the invention, we claim:

A coupler comprising a housing having a flared mouth and a chamber communicating with said mouth by a restricted throat defining spaced shoulders located in said chamber and each having a recess, a dog pivoted in the housing and having pivotal movement in the throat and. cham- 

